by roving reporter Jesse
Having a thriving career in radio, Jo Stanley is not known so much for being seen as she is heard. One would think that sitting behind a microphone, in the confines of a small, dark radio studio would mean she worries far less about her appearance than if she were involved in a more visual medium. This is not necessarily the case.
Jo was a guest speaker at the recent launch of the Victorian Government's Media Code of Conduct on Body Image and she was kind enough to have a chat.
Her passion around the subject of body image stems from being someone who, like so many, has had past struggles with feeling good about her figure. She then became a member of the commercial media and has been a voicing messages of positive body image ever since.
"I now see it very much as my role on air to encourage all people listening, but particularly young people, to love the skin they're in," she said in her speech at the launch.
Jo works the breakfast radio slot on FOX FM. Her in-your-face sense of humour has been blaring out of car stereos on The Matt & Jo Show with co-host Matt Tilley since 2003.
Prettier in person
Her latest comedic venture saw her take the stage, not for the first time, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in March. Her show, Prettier in Person, was inspired by what she says is the phrase she hears most when meeting new people.
"People do have an image of what you look like when you work on radio," she said.
"That just led me down the path of addressing my own concerns with body image, being confronted with magazines and photo shoots and the craziness that goes on in that industry."
"It was a personal story that fortunately lent itself to a much greater issue and allowed me to make a few statements."
Jo the poser
In 2005 Jo posed in for men's magazine FHM. She says she learnt a great deal from the experience which saw her in a bikini alongside other images of women, depicted as objects ripe for the picking.
"It was one of the most confronting days of my life," said Stanley. "I certainly didn't come away feeling good about myself."
The episode even made part of her routine.
"The make-up artist took to my thighs with a combination of spray-on tan, foundation, clay and what looked like a welder's torch."
Genetic freaks
She has gained a certain empathy for the models who front up to cameras and catwalks on a more regular basis.
"I can only imagine what it would be like to see yourself photographed or on the catwalk as your profession. You would be consumed with self-doubt all the time. I don't particularly think that models are free of any of this kind of body image concern."
"They're just guys and girls earning a living. It's not their fault that they're held up to be some ridiculous, unattainable ideal. They're just genetic freaks that were blessed with extraordinary good looks," she laughs.
The magic of make-up
Jo's image is plastered around Melbourne as a marketing tool for some of her commercial obligations.
"You spend so much time looking at your own face, you start to not recognise it," She said. "You can really obsess over it. And that's when you realise, it's a thing made up in your head."
"I know that it's just pushed out there as a brand and it's not me," she explained. "That's the magic of make-up."
Jo is a very vocal supporter of the new code of conduct. She is proud that it has come about, but remains cautious as she says the job is far from over.
"The code, I think, states the things that we all need to be aware of, in very plain language," she said. "It's fantastic the way it's set it out clearly and succinctly for the first time."
"We don't want this to be just a token effort, obviously. This needs to be something that changes what we see. So there's a lot of work to be done."
Jo is one of the many big names lending her name to the cause. It's fantastic to see so much support for this great initiative.
